An Evening with Mark Rubin & Chip Wilson

Born in Stillwater, reared in Texas and now residing in New Orleans, Mark Rubin—known as the Jew of Oklahoma—is a defiant voice in the Americana scene. Drawing on his punk-rock bonafides and Southern roots, Rubin uses his platform to confront social injustice and the history of American anti-semitism. His music is less a polite fusion and more a musical manifesto. Rubin’s work is characterized by its militant edge, frequently adapting Yiddish protest songs and labor ballads into gritty bluegrass. His recent albums, like The Triumph of Assimilation (2021) and Dispatches: Songs from a World Gone Mad (2025), mix wry humor, biting social commentary, and deep cultural pride. The result is music that feels both timeless and radical: an unvarnished portrait of Jewish life in the American South, where the fiddle tune meets the synagogue melody and the protest song meets the tall tale.

Opening this evening is a set by longtime collaborator Chip Wilson. Wilson is a celebrated New Orleans-based singer-songwriter and master multi-instrumentalist who blends jazz, acoustic blues, and gospel into a unique, soulful roots sound. A fixture of the Crescent City music scene, he is widely recognized for his intricate fingerstyle, guitar prowess, commanding vocals, and authentic songwriting that captures the spirit of Louisiana. Beyond his performing career, Wilson is highly respected as a master craftsman who designs and builds fine acoustic instruments.